1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to structures for damming water courses, controlling water flow, working and support structures, and the like, and, in particular, is to provide a low cost and easily constructed tubular sleeve or envelope arrangement with divider or baffle walls, and/or multiple sleeves or envelopes with arrangements for maintaining the filled sleeves or envelopes together to form a variety of structures.
2. Prior Art
A need for easily installable dam structures, and the like, particularly structures that are relatively inexpensive, non-permanent, reusable and are durable has been early recognized by the inventor who has been awarded U.S. Pat. No.""s 5,059,065 and 5,125,767 for joining water structures together to form hydraulic damming structures, and the like. Such structures have been found to be very useful for safely and reliably containing or controlling water and are also particularly useful for controlling oil or chemical spills, for flood control, and the like. Such control structures are also useful, for example, for temporary damming operations such as may be involved in agricultural, construction, or like operations for de-watering work sites, fields, or the like, for use as temporary breakwaters, coffer dams, and the like.
Heretofore it has been recognized that fluid filled flexible control structures and barriers can be used for retention of water, control of water flow and wave action, and a number of configurations of dams and barriers formed as temporary structures have been developed. Additional to the U.S. patents of the inventor, some other such arrangements are shown, for example, in U.S. Patents to: Mesnager, U.S. Pat. No. 2,609,666; Mesnheger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,474; Imbertson, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,851; Renfro, U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,530; Tabor, U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,167; Hornbostel, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,568; Hepworth, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,098, Suga, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,540; Muramatsu, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,514; Tsuiji, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,774; Clem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,788; Paoluccio, U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,201; Holmberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,585; Stevens, U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,520; and Brodersen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,821. The above show various containment, dam and barrier configurations ranging from permanent to portable structures, and include, as shown in Stevens and Brodersen, structures for encircling a chemical or oil spill. Additionally, a Swiss patent No. CH657,884 to Fure shows a dam type containment structure. Further, a breakwater arrangement is shown in a U.S. patent to Sample, No. 4,729,691, that includes a plurality of sand filled bags that are contained within an outer sleeve to serve as a barrier in an erosion control system. The above cited patents generally involve inflatable envelope arrangements that include some anchor structures therewith, and are generally restricted in that they don""t rely on water to form the structure and include anchors that must be permanently installed. Further, most such earlier arrangements require extensive site preparation and a number actually include a concrete bottom and sidewalls to provide for structure stability and barrier support thereby precluding their use as temporary water structures as provided by the present invention.
Summarizing, none of the above set out arrangements, provide, a simple barrier arrangement or arrangements of barriers that include filled or partially filled sleeves or envelopes with arrangements for anchoring the sleeves or envelopes, and which filled sleeves or envelopes can themselves support other structural elements to perform a number of functions as do the embodiments of the present invention. Where the above set out earlier patents of the inventor teach water containing sleeves or envelopes formed into a structure for arrangement as a dam, or the like, and a connecting sleeve arrangement for use with such water structures, neither of these patents involve the various arrangements for maintaining the water filled sleeves or envelopes together or for anchoring them along their lengths, or for their uses with other structures as does the present invention.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic structure that is formed from a section or sections of water filled sleeves, envelopes, or the like, that may be fitted together in end-to-end, or in intersecting relationship, for forming dams, breakwaters, piers, bridging structures, docks, platforms for drilling, and the like, where such formed structure will be stable even when subjected to a transverse hydraulic force or forces as would tend to move the structure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a single or plurality of water filled sleeves, envelopes or the like, that are formed or connected to resist movement when a transverse or side hydraulic force, or the like is directed thereagainst.
Another object of the present invention is to provide, with a single sleeve as a water filled structure, a longitudinal center divider, longitudinal baffle, or spaces longitudinal baffles for discouraging or dampening a side load within the water filled sleeve as could be created by application of a transverse or side hydraulic load into the sleeve as could roll the sleeve.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure formed from a pair of sleeves as water bodies, water columns, envelopes, or the like, that are filled with water and are to be connected together along longitudinal shared surfaces so as to preclude their separation when a transverse or side hydraulic load force is applied to either or both of the water filled structures.
Still another object of the present invention is to include, with a pair of water filled sleeves, envelopes, or the like, that are maintained together along longitudinal shared surfaces, or with a single sleeve that includes a center dividing wall, a further component, components, or devices therewith to allow, for example, the water filled structure to be used as a drilling platform, dock, bridge, or the like.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure that can include a floating arrangement such as a styrafoam core, separate air or lighter than water filled sleeves, tubes, containers, or the like fitted therein, to produce a buoyancy in the water filled structure so as to facilitate its being used as a floating platform, boom, dock, break water or the like.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sleeve, envelope, or the like that includes an arrangement for fitting a replacement sleeve or envelope into a damaged sleeve or envelope that contains water without a necessity to completely drain the damaged sleeve or envelope.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a water filled structure formed from a single or number of sleeves, envelopes, or the like, with the single sleeve to include a dividing wall, baffle, or the like, and with the plurality of sleeves maintained together, and may include a separate buoyancy arrangement, with the structure arranged to be easily filled with water and includes drain and fill ports that are all conveniently and safely operated even in a desolate and/or unimproved area, which sleeves, envelopes, or the like, are easy to maintain, and can be installed with minimum to no site preparation.
The present invention is in at least one flexible sleeve or envelope arrangement or arrangements that can be closed at its ends to receive and retain a volume of water. Such single sleeve preferably includes a dividing wall or walls or other baffle arrangement to prohibit an applied transverse hydraulic force from rolling the water containing sleeve. The dividing wall can be formed to extend the length of the sleeve and is connected at longitudinal axis along the sleeve or envelope inner surface, dividing the sleeve into two or more compartments. Or individual wall sections can be secured along their opposite edges to the sleeve inner surface, with gaps or spaces left between the individual sections that then functions as baffles, or, alternatively a single longitudinal dividing wall having a plurality of holes or openings formed therethrough and can be secured to the sleeve inner surface, dividing the sleeve into two or more sections, to function as a baffle. Such single sleeve or envelope with dividing wall, walls or baffle arrangement can include inlet and exhaust valves, as needed, and can further include an air inlet or bleed valve arrangement, within the scope of this disclosure.
Additional to a single sleeve that is divided by a longitudinal wall, multiple walls, baffle, or baffles, the invention can include a pair or more of tubes sleeves or envelopes that are connected together as by an adhesive, hot weld, or the like, along shared surfaces to form a pair of connected containers that, when water filled, will resist rolling apart when a side or transverse or side hydraulic load or force is applied thereto. Such single sleeve pair of sleeves, or multiple sleeves can be connected end to end with like sleeve arrangements utilizing a coupling sleeve arrangement like that shown in my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,065, or the like. So arranged, a control structure is provided as for damming or dewatering operations, that can include inlet and vent valve arrangements for passing water or air into and draining water and air from the individual sleeves. Also, an additional sleeve or envelope, sleeves or envelopes, can be provided to contain the multiple sleeves for maintaining the pair of bodies water filled sleeves or envelopes together, and such arrangement or arrangements can include additional structure such as, a vertical tube for use in drilling operations, or a horizontal tube to function as a calvert, buoyancy tube or tubes, to be filled with a buoyant material such as to provide buoyancy in water to the structure.
Additionally, a sleeve having a number or compartments formed therein to individually receive a buoyance material to provide a desired buoyancy in water for use as a dock, platform, roadway bridge arrangement, or like type structure, can be so arranged within the scope of this disclosure.
A preferred sleeve arrangement is an open sleeve or envelope that can be closed at its ends and is formed from an appropriate flexible material. The sleeve, envelope or sleeves or envelopes may be reinforced internally, or externally may be contained in an additional sleeve, and may include a mat or web material secured thereto, or the like. Further, the invention may include an arrangement for fitting as by pulling, or the like, a second sleeve or envelope through a damaged first sleeve or envelope without a necessity for first fully draining the damaged sleeve or envelope. In practice a flexible polyethylene plastic tube manufactured by Layfield Plastics, having a range of wall thickness of from four (4) to ten (10) millimeters has been used successfully for the invention, though, it should be understood, the invention is not limited to any particular sleeve or tube manufacture or thickness, and can utilize sleeves of greater or lesser wall thickness, can include a further enclosing sleeve, and have a mat, of metal, fiber, glass or like secured thereto to provide reinforcement to the structure, within the scope of this disclosure.